The pharmaceutical industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the evolution of treatment paradigms, and the gravity of unmet needs, as well as the growing importance of technologies such as pharmacogenomics, digital therapeutics, and artificial intelligence. In the last three years alone, there have been over 136,000 patents filed and granted in the pharmaceutical industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in pharma: microencapsulated peptide vaccines. Buy the report here.

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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

80+ innovations will shape the pharmaceutical industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the pharmaceutical industry using innovation intensity models built on over 730,000 patents, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, engineered multi-specific antibodies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and mutant DNA polymerases are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Peptide pharmacophores, antibody-drug conjugates, and neuroprotective drugs are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are amyloid precursor targeted therapies and modified vector HIV-1 vaccines, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the pharmaceutical industry

Microencapsulated peptide vaccines is a key innovation area in the pharmaceutical industry

Peptide vaccine microsphere formulations refer to a type of vaccine delivery system in which small particles made up of biodegradable polymers are used to encapsulate peptide antigens. These microspheres protect the peptide antigens from degradation and improve their stability and immunogenicity. When administered to a host, the microspheres slowly release the antigens over an extended period, allowing for a sustained immune response.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 1265+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established pharmaceutical companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of microencapsulated peptide vaccines.

Key players in microencapsulated peptide vaccines – a disruptive innovation in the pharmaceutical industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to microencapsulated peptide vaccines

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
GSK 1070 Unlock Company Profile
C. H. Boehringer Sohn 797 Unlock Company Profile
Johnson & Johnson 756 Unlock Company Profile
AstraZeneca 745 Unlock Company Profile
Sanofi 709 Unlock Company Profile
Merck 610 Unlock Company Profile
Zoetis 505 Unlock Company Profile
Takeda Pharmaceutical 460 Unlock Company Profile
Pfizer 430 Unlock Company Profile
Valneva 393 Unlock Company Profile
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals 324 Unlock Company Profile
F. Hoffmann-La Roche 270 Unlock Company Profile
Gilead Sciences 251 Unlock Company Profile
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 207 Unlock Company Profile
Inovio Pharmaceuticals 190 Unlock Company Profile
Vir Biotechnology 176 Unlock Company Profile
Moderna 160 Unlock Company Profile
Mitsubishi Chemical Group 159 Unlock Company Profile
VLP Therapeutics 156 Unlock Company Profile
Molecular Templates 154 Unlock Company Profile
National Research Council of Canada 146 Unlock Company Profile
Curevac 137 Unlock Company Profile
Vertex Pharmaceuticals 133 Unlock Company Profile
Theraclone Sciences 131 Unlock Company Profile
X4 Pharmaceuticals 130 Unlock Company Profile
Verneuil Participations 120 Unlock Company Profile
Novartis 101 Unlock Company Profile
Bristol-Myers Squibb 98 Unlock Company Profile
Celltrion 91 Unlock Company Profile
Academia Sinica 89 Unlock Company Profile
Meiji 87 Unlock Company Profile
Erasmus MC 84 Unlock Company Profile
Temasek 84 Unlock Company Profile
US Department of Health and Human Services 81 Unlock Company Profile
Bharat Biotech 79 Unlock Company Profile
MacroGenics 77 Unlock Company Profile
Novavax 76 Unlock Company Profile
BioNTech 73 Unlock Company Profile
Bavarian Nordic 69 Unlock Company Profile
Codagenix 68 Unlock Company Profile
Oswaldo Cruz Foundation 66 Unlock Company Profile
Intervet 66 Unlock Company Profile
Geeks On Call 64 Unlock Company Profile
Compagnie Merieux Alliance 63 Unlock Company Profile
Les Laboratoires Servier 62 Unlock Company Profile
Pomona Ricerca 62 Unlock Company Profile
CareGroup 61 Unlock Company Profile
XBiotech 60 Unlock Company Profile
Nitto Denko 59 Unlock Company Profile
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative 58 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

GSK is one of the leading patent filers in microencapsulated peptide vaccines. It is involved in the development of various peptide vaccines. GSK also acquired Affinivax, a leading company in vaccine development, primarily for cancer.

In terms of application diversity, Mitsubishi Chemical leads the pack, while Novavax and Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) stood in second and third positions, respectively.

By means of geographic reach, Vertex Pharmaceuticals held the top position, followed by F. Hoffmann-La Roche and X4 Pharmaceuticals.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the pharmaceutical industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Pharmaceutical.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.